Thank you to Portland Youth Philharmonic for sharing music to be enjoyed by all. A partial remedy to the absence of live music during the pandemic is the potpourri of livesteamed opportunities. A silver lining for us, Mom would not be getting out to any of them even in the absence of a pandemic, nor … Continue reading Music is the one thing
Memories
The gift of imagination
A most favorite pastime of mine during the pandemic days of summer and fall, splattering into the wetter and colder days of winter, is watching kids outside: carrying on as life was before, not even bothered by mask requirements. This has given me great hope. Imagination is both a remedy and an ally during good … Continue reading The gift of imagination
The Christmas of the green pantsuits and other cautionary tales
While I'm certain we purchased more gifts for our kids when they were small, a number of years ago our family retreated from buying many material gifts to instead spend more of our time and money on experiences: plays, music, food. Like many other families we encouraged handmade gifts, and now more than ever, place … Continue reading The Christmas of the green pantsuits and other cautionary tales
Overdue, rediscovered
My family treasures library books. In My Music Man I wrote about how, as our family prepared to evacuate our Eastern Oregon LaGrande home because of a 1972 wildfire, Mom insisted we gather the library books hiding in the crevices of our home together with cherished family photo albums. (Okay, there was that one other … Continue reading Overdue, rediscovered
Blueberries, blueberries and more blueberries
Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCluskey. One of the joys of late for me has been to find spare moments to read books aloud, particularly to my mom or my special neighborhood friends. When I received the invitation to read a book for our West Linn Public Library's virtual storytime, I knew which one I … Continue reading Blueberries, blueberries and more blueberries
October three years ago…
How can it be a mere three years since I first became a published author? Remember back to those seemingly delicious times prior to 2020? A friend recently shared that the futuristic movie Soylent Green was placed in the year 2020. (When I fact-checked this I found it to be set in 2022, oh no!) … Continue reading October three years ago…
A tribute to Clackamas County
This is the first week in awhile I haven't been able to distract myself from all that is going on to continue to focus on my Work in Progress. Most days, even with COVID-19, I get to my day job stuff early in the morning so to try to leave some brain space for late … Continue reading A tribute to Clackamas County
Oaks Park: Portland’s Coney Island on the Willamette
This photograph, taken by F. Sowell around 1912, shows Edward Klees pulling taffy at Oaks Amusement Park. Image credit: Oregon History Project. My oldest memory tied to Portland's Oaks Park mostly reminds me of the Don McLean song American Pie. When it was first popular on the radio, early in the 1970s, I was an … Continue reading Oaks Park: Portland’s Coney Island on the Willamette
As you lie resting
My nose and mouth are hidden by a flowery purple print, fabric better suited for a spring tea than to be saturated with dampness on this hot summer day. The cloth tastes salty if I lick it, fresh residue from sweat, tears and snot. If it’s a day you are in bed, I stand outside … Continue reading As you lie resting
What I wish I knew before
So, you say, your partner (loved one, spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend) has decided to run for a political office? I decided, perhaps it would be helpful for me to come up with some tips I've learned over the past almost 8 years, about what to expect. Take them as you like, in jest or full seriousness. … Continue reading What I wish I knew before
